Across the VIP section, Michael sat smiling — calm, pleased, proud.

Their eyes met once more.

And in that silence, it was clear he was sending a message.

Dayo just shook his head in disappointment. He had expected something like this to happen, but not to this extent. He felt so bad cause he thought he was at fault, and Min-Jae was collateral damage.

He looked back toward the stage, searching for Min-Jae, and saw Frank celebrating. Almost instantly, their eyes locked.

Frank gave a strange smirk. Dayo read his lips clearly:

"I won, and you lost."

The usually composed Dayo tensed, but he quickly took control of his emotions and calmed himself.

He just hoped the fans could see through the whole thing.

---

The internet exploded.

After all, it was the Global Competition Finals — and people were not happy when the final ranking appeared on-screen:

7th: Matteo

6th: Amara

5th: Emily

4th: Min-Jae

3rd: Misha

2nd: Sophie

1st: Frank

A wave of confusion swept through the audience.

People began whispering:

"Wait — Emily? Fifth?"

"Are you serious? Min-Jae's performance had everyone crying."

"How is this even possible?"

"Top 3 is an understatement — he should be No. 1!"

"I smell something fishy."

"Frank was good, but not that good."

Online reactions came even faster:

"This show is rigged. There's no way Frank won that fairly."

"Did they even watch Min-Jae's set?"

"Nah, this is why I stopped watching last year."

"Remember when they kicked JD out? Same pattern — every time, the wrong person wins."

"Frank's been the villain since day one."

"Global Competition 2025 just lost its credibility."

But strangely, those comments didn't stay visible for long.

Whenever people refreshed their feeds, the complaints were gone — replaced by rows of polished, congratulatory posts:

"Congratulations, Frank! You deserve it!"

"The best singer alive!"

"What a powerful performance!"

"Frank is No. 1!"

"Such an amazing performance — I'm so happy he won!"

It was almost as if someone were wiping the negative ones away.

Alice frowned, scrolling through her tablet.

"They're filtering the threads," she muttered. "See? The top comments are all clean — almost too clean."

Dayo didn't answer.

He turned toward the opposite side of the hall — to where Michael Smith sat in the VIP corner, suit perfectly tailored, a small, smug smile on his face.

Their eyes met again, and in that second, Dayo knew Michael was watching him check online.

Michael raised his glass slightly, as if in a toast.

His lips moved — no sound, just a silent taunt.

"You see what power does?"

Dayo looked away, exhaling quietly through his nose.

He didn't respond. He didn't need to.

Michael was showing that even here, at a global event, he could rewrite the ending.

---

After the ceremony, the backstage area was quiet except for camera flashes and crew packing up.

Min-Jae sat on a folding chair, staring at the floor. His eyes were red — not from anger, but from exhaustion.

Misha sat beside him, silent.

Emily stood near the mirror, arms crossed, trying not to cry.

When Dayo walked in, the room shifted. Min-Jae looked up immediately.

Dayo forced a small smile. "You did great out there."

Min-Jae chuckled dryly. "Yeah. Great enough for fourth place."

Dayo walked closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I mean it. You had them in tears, man. Even the fans were speechless. Everyone knew it."

Min-Jae shook his head. "Guess it doesn't matter."

The silence stretched before he added, voice breaking,

"It just… feels unfair, you know? I've worked for this since I was fifteen. I really thought this was my year."

Emily sniffed, wiping her eyes quietly. "You were the best tonight. Everyone knows that."

Dayo crouched slightly in front of Min-Jae.

"Hey. Listen to me. You didn't lose. Not really. Sometimes, the people with the most power write the endings before the show even starts."

Min-Jae looked up. "You mean Michael, don't you?"

Dayo didn't reply. His silence was answer enough.

Then Min-Jae's expression softened. He smiled weakly.

"You know, I used to think you exaggerated about how brutal the industry was. Guess I was wrong."

Dayo nodded. "It's okay to be angry. But don't let it consume you. You're still you — the Min-Jae who moved an entire arena with one song."

A tear escaped Min-Jae's eye. He stood and hugged Dayo tightly.

"Thanks for coming. It means a lot. I know… things didn't end well when you left."

Dayo patted his back. "Forget that. I told you I'd show up, didn't I?"

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Min-Jae finally laughed faintly.

"Man, if you start crying, I'll actually lose it."

Dayo chuckled. "Then let's not. Let's just call this a bad day — not the end."

Emily joined them, hugging both. "Bad day, not the end," she echoed, smiling through her tears.

After this, both Emily and Misha's families came to meet them, and they waved them goodbye.

Dayo sat with Min-Jae, and he looked at him. "So.... is there anything you want to tell me ?"

Min-Jae acted surprised, like he didn't understand what Dayo was speaking about. "Huh, what do you mean?"

Dayo smiled and looked into his eye and said nothing.

The quietness seems to have gotten to Min-Jae, and he finally broke the silence, "So when did you find out ?"

"When we were in Korea for the second round and you didn't mention them, but I didn't want to force you to talk about it, which was why I kept mute."

Min-Jae gazed at Dayo and whispered with tears in his eyes. "Thank you." And continued. "You know that meeting you had been the best thing that happened to me, you never asked, even when you were curious and came here even after all that happened to you."

Dayo just sat and listened, saying nothing.

"It happened when I was ten years old. I was already making a bit of a wave in the industry, and then, on one occasion, we were hurrying for a competition, and we met an accident on the way — killing everyone but leaving me unscathed. I felt so guilty that I was the one they were rushing for, and I was the only one left alive. My mum, dad, and even my little sister — gone, just like that."

"I was broken beyond repair, and the only thing I could do was push harder so their sacrifices wouldn't go to waste."

Dayo's chest tightened. He sat quietly for a moment, letting the weight of the words settle, then moved closer and placed a comforting hand on Min-Jae's shoulder.

"Hey," he said softly. "None of what happened was your fault. You've carried too much alone. But you made them proud tonight. Every note you sang… they were there with you."

Min-Jae wiped his eyes, managing a shaky smile. "Thank you, Dayo. You really know how to make people feel seen."

Dayo gave a faint smile back, but there was sadness in his eyes. "I just don't want to see you lose more because of me."

Min-Jae frowned. "What do you mean?"

Dayo exhaled. "You saw what happened out there. Because of me, Michael interfered. You could've been second — maybe even first. But you got dragged down because of my issues with him. I can't let that keep happening."

Min-Jae shook his head immediately. "Don't say that. It's not your fault."

Dayo looked down for a moment before speaking again. "Still… I think you should stay as far away from me as possible. Not because I want to, but because it's safer for your career. You've worked too hard to let my mess pull you under."

Min-Jae gave a small, bitter laugh. "Funny thing is… my label already said the same thing. They told me if I don't cut ties with you after this, they'll cut ties with me."

Dayo's heart sank. "They actually said that?"

"Yeah," Min-Jae nodded. "They were expecting nothing less than the top three from me. And now that I didn't make it, they'll probably follow through. But honestly?" He smiled faintly. "I don't regret meeting you. Even if it costs me something."

For a few seconds, Dayo said nothing. Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver flash drive — simple and unmarked — and held it out.

Min-Jae blinked. "What's that?"

Dayo smiled softly. "A gift. Don't open it yet. Not here. Wait until you're back in Korea."

Min-Jae looked confused. "Why? What's inside?"

"You'll see when it's time," Dayo said quietly. "Just promise me you won't touch it until then."

Min-Jae studied his face and nodded slowly. "Alright. I promise."

"Good," Dayo said. "Let's just call it… a parting gift from me to you."

Min-Jae gave a half-smile. "You make it sound like we're not going to see each other again."

Dayo chuckled softly. "Who knows what happens next? But that—" he nodded at the flash drive, "—that's for your next chapter."

Min-Jae turned the flash drive in his hand. "You're giving me your work, aren't you?"

Dayo gave a cheeky smile, "Maybe yes, maybe no, you will find out when you're home."

Min-Jae shook his head in disbelief. "Did you just make rhythm now?"

They talked for a bit before Min-Jae left for his hotel.

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